Slippery Shadows

Re: Slippery Shadows

OOC| You ish FINE, lovely! You be marvelous actually, I think. I just hope THIS be akay. All's I can say is, all I does is provide the fingers. Canna help how Hybrid is.

BIC| He smiled - smirked, but there was a lack of the usual, taunting air to it. It was a grin of amusement and, honestly, intrigue.

"Of course it's a defense mechanism," Hybrid admitted, a whicker of amusement mixing with his words. "Knowledge is power, so I gather all I can learn to fight with should the need arise. I have to know and guard against weaknesses... I think we all fear, after rebonding, that if we don't that weakness may just destroy us the next time. Although I know there won't be a next time, it's still how I cope with that fear."

She felt nice next to him - he had to admit. The rhythm of the air currents she sent skittering over his hide was oddly comforting in his blindness.

Albeit not nearly as comforting as having her call him good company. Perfect company, in fact.

"You said you've been rebonded as well... I know at least one of my bond-mates shares this fear as he's only recently been able to relax enough to show a true face. Do you know about it, or are you one of the lucky ones?"

Honest curiosity - and a tender touch of sympathy for the difficult topic - colored his pop-sizzle-growl voice, the tone one of a creature that could understand and had been there himself.

"As far as company and dingbats, are concerned," he reflected, going back a beat as he had managed to gather his thoughts better, "You have my thanks for being rather interesting company yourself. I am one for mystery, and a challenge and having my mind work around limitations, but mostly I appreciate... I suppose the word could be intrigue. Depth, layers, hidden things in a way. Even the clouds that look flat and whispy have substance to them, although you can't see it once you're too close.

Arching his neck, he tilted his head back and seemed to look up, frowning ever so slightly. The air was gradually feeling more... Open. He felt less of a brush off current from the walls and ceiling and found himself entering greater spaces - without any such subtle guides.

"That's hard to find, you know. That intrigue within others. They put on the faces, but no more. It's all a flat image, that they present. Give me someone like you, bold enough to flair it all out in the open, and a pox to them that are too timid to appreciate it!"

And then the giggle - oh, that giggle. It tugged his heart, for it sounded, for an exact moment, as if Fancy herself were next to him.

While his heart skipped a beat, his hooves picked up an extra one, gleaning an automatic miniature prance that sent his talons skittering over the rough floor. And he found himself laughing with her, for no reason other than the fact that she reminded him of his interest so very strongly.

"I can understand the wanderings," he grinned, and gave his head a quick toss of amusement. "There's times where the gopher overloard summons me as well, or at least that such seems as good an explanation as any. For me, though, it's not a search. I wander because my spine itches otherwise. To sit docile and grow thick and lazy when there is so much life to live, it chaffs, to be honest. That's something my bonded taught all of us; life is for living, love is for enjoying, and each day is for learning. Everything is a potential discovery, a new lesson, even if it's just of who you are."

A puff of air against his shoulder, and a playful offer of guidance had precluded his answers - even his notice of the cavern widening, late as it was. Finally, he thought he had an acceptable answer.

"Right now, for instance, I just learned that I have the potential to be an infuriatingly proud stallion, considering I'm not going to have you nudge me around the wall I've been steadily plodding towards. How about you act as my safety net, with those talented eyes you have? Let's see how far I can get on my own. Perhaps the Great Keeper of Slime and Shrooms will make a blanket of disgusting softness pop up for me, huh?"

Grinning at his own humor, Hybrid slowed his pace a bit and attuned his skin to the drifting of the air around him, absently adjusting his hide to stretch out and flair a brilliant shade of muddy red as the blood cascaded into the flat sides of his improvised motion sensors, rendering them twice as sensitive. There was one each along his shoulders, ribs and hips, spanning out in many quivering directions as he felt for the air from his forward motion to begin to bounce back to him.

She had said her eyes were good... Hopefully they weren't that good.

"You remind me of her," he said suddenly, distracting himself from the notion of whatever look she could be granting him - possibly one much like those he caught on the faces of most others before they caught and guarded themselves. Even his bond-mates had been cautious while approaching at first, although they loved each other as siblings now. "The one I'm here to feel closer to, the one I haven't answered you about. You remind me of her quite a bit, at times, and I find I rather like that. She doesn't know, though, to answer you properly. I wouldn't want to put her under pressure. If something happens, it happens. If not, she simply doesn't see me that way. I wouldn't blame her much, though I think she can see beyond the parts that normally shock most others... Even if she is a lady." He paused, a simple breath as his mouth twisted into a wry grin of amusement as he added "Even if she is Fancy. It find it ironic, for that to be her name, because there's so much more to her than simply a fancy, high-nosed mare. She's..."

Another pause, a moment to reflect on what he was doing - and then to disregard the notion of backing out. In for an apple, in for the tree, as they said. "She's strong, stronger than she knows since she's coped with lacking a proper lady to consort with and not shown any sign of regret. I know she prides her appearance - and why wouldn't she? But still, to have someone to help weave things in your hair on a fanciful whim would be just as good as having someone to dive into a mud puddle with; and of course, I've seen her go barreling through thickets with all the concern of one of the boys when the urge strikes. She knows how to laugh and has enough spine that she doesn't back down easily, and now and again when she thinks nobody can see her eyes get distant and she simply looks so lost that all you want is to pull her close. Although I'm sure if you tried it would take a rather special serian to get away with it." Another grin, this one, completely absent-minded. "Fancy is not a mare to be coddled. And she tries to be a mystery, but when I watch; when I really watch her, I see hints of what she secrets away, even as she acts as if she's bold enough to flaunt herself in the face of the entire world. She's lonely, I think. I think that's why she wanders, unlike her bond-mates. She's lonely and needs that one last click before she feels she's settled into a home again. A real home, somewhere she's safe. I think once she finds that, there won't be any stopping her. She'll pounce out of the shadows, laugh as you fall face-first in the stream you're drinking out of, flick her tail just enough to let you see that gorgeous coat gleam and then disappear again right as you collect yourself enough to sputter. Strong and bold and so very female, that's the lady that's caught me. And in a few ways you've reminded me of her. It's a bit of comfort, while I'm so impaired."

And the greatest compliment he could give, as far as he was concerned, although he had almost forgotten his company within his daydreaming ramble. He had been so lost within his musings, musings that had started up to divert his mind from the manipulation of the electric pulses within his body that allowed him to alter himself in the ways he did for brief periods, that he had been glowing faintly the whole time without even realizing it. Sparks - small, flickering, ember-like pulses of light - had circled around his nose and down his neck, shivering down his spine as he spoke of her. They were faint enough that he didn't even see them within the great oppressive gloom, although they lingered and shimmered a shade or three brighter the two or three times he said her name.

Yet he did feel the ridges of skin he'd called up twitch and quiver as the air changed around him, his steps faltering as he adjusted his course accordingly. And although Hybrid did manage to miss the curve of the wall, it was only barely - one of those ridges scraped against the rough surface.

He had to frown as he took another step forward; the wall he had just maneuvered around was already dropping away from him and he thought he sensed another just ahead. Another curve? And the floor was growing much steeper. And something, somewhere, was dripping...

Still, he had to grin as he said "Well my neck ain't broken, though I seem to have set myself up for my heart to be. Can you see the walls still, or is it growing too dark for you? Unless you have patience enough for me to fumble around and get my bearings, I'll need another hint."

He felt a bit out of sorts as he took another cautious step forward, trying to discern the direction the path was taking - or if he was still even on the path and hadn't wandered back into the vast, open space he had just passed through. Uncertainty was something he could work through, although he didn't much appreciate the experience. It made a nervous flicker of lightning flair up around his ears for a brief moment, barely even a glow before the spark died out again.

Re: Slippery Shadows

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:21 pm

by Vineda

OOC| I feel so outta sorts and not at all like I be on the game, so please excuse me fer a poor reply. Hopin if i get the ball rollin again it'll just smooth itself out...

He seemed brighter somehow, and she smiled to think that maybe she had something to do with that. Perhaps not, though, she cautioned herself. No need to get ahead of the game.

Her face had darkened just a tidge at the subject. "Aye, I am familiar with the less than fun issues of bonding... That fear that can bring nightmares so easily." Her skin dimpled with goosebumps, but she refused to shiver. His voice... softened.. a bit as he spoke now, and it made her think that there was almost a purr of sorts hidden behind his words. How could there be really, and yet that is what she thought of.

"Oh, intrigue is it?" She bit her lip and decided she'd better skip the cavern lit with glowing lichen. It'd give the mystery away instantly. "All right proud sir, we'll be taking a left up here pretty soon... I'll let you know when, unless you somehow beat me to it with those senses of yours." She quirked an eyebrow at his little dance, gleeful that he was feeling so good about the whole thing. She'd hate to be a disappointment hidden in darkness.

"There's something of a wanderer in most all of us in my bond family. Some much more than others, of course but... " She trailed off here, nearly having mentioned Oak guarding his thick forest and Talon keeping close to his treasure trove of a hoard. And both of them were acquainted with (an fond of!) this stallion. Now that would be a blunder! "I tend to keep close to home so I can check in with those returning from a journey... I hold down the fort so to say."

She noted his change in hue, though it was difficult to say exactly what coloration there was now... perhaps a brownish... no, brighter. Orange mayhaps? Interesting. Most interesting. She'd just barely seen him flash electric blue out of the corner of her eye once, but it had been a large gathering and she'd been busy talking with his bond mates. It was hardly believable really. Electric blue!

She got quiet then, as he talked about the Fancy he knew, and how he saw her. It was slightly terrifying, having a picture painted of yourself. As she gazed at that picture she fought the urge to flee. How? How did he know she dearly wished she had a sister in her famnily? That she did such ungraceful things as flying through the thickets? And I am never Lost, she told herself with her head held higher than usual.

And even as he sparked and glowed, she edged away. For that little amount of light might very well just give her away. She fought back the tickle of panic that had been building, calming herself and planning. Parting now... she didn't want to yet. He was intriguing, for all he looked for intrigue in others. All she need do yet is simply bade the gentleman farewell before they reached the light of day above. And avoid such glowing caverns as she was already getting ready to steer clear of.

Taking a deep breath and moving forward, she let the bit about his Fancy mare die with nary a comment. "I can see the walls, sir. They've widened, fallen away on either side because the path is splitting. If you just keep to your left a bit we'll be just fine. There should be a deep chasm opening up to the left up yonder after the paths diverge but there's plenty of path for us to fit and not be near the edge." Another spark from him. She kept her distance. she listened closely to the sound of echoes, a drip of water, their voices, the scrabble of their hooves and talons against the surface of the tunnel. This journey was turning out to be less leisurely than she'd expected.

Re: Slippery Shadows

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:50 pm

by Songhue

OOC| Is beautify! Mine be quick, but hopefully not too crappy.

BIC| His ears perked at the mention of a chasm up ahead, something which both interested him and irritated him at the same time. It would be good not to fall to his doom, but simple direction on rather he had turned himself about would have been good on its own.

Then again, he could hear a new note of reservation seep into her voice for a beat or two. Perhaps his fanciful spewing was more than she could stomach. The idea made him grin wryly - in all honesty, it was more than he could tolerate himself at times.

To the left it is then, he said merrily, tossing his head as his hide gave a ripple of blinding white while it settled back into its usual form. The little tease of being addressed as 'proud sir' amused him to no end, and if anything an extra note of comfort entered his voice as he managed to coax the small game out of this mare.

She was a bit towards his own left as she warned him, so he was careful as he veered in the proper direction, not wishing to squash her against the wall even as he readied himself for a word that might save his very life. For a moment the silence spun out, his mind still spinning over all the tiny details he had noticed about his crush - details were his specialty, and details were all she ever allowed to slip. But it was pitiful compared to what he knew of even the most reclusive of his bondmates.

You have talented eyes, Pretty. It's fun trying to picture the face they belong in. But tell me, sweet hearth-keep, if you remain to hold down the fort as you say does this mean you have solid ties there? What of the summons of the great gopher king - or are there young ones? There is a foal among my bondmates that I have adopted, fatherless as he's been. His mother asked me... He paused a moment and the good natured sizzled that had been present in his speech faded into a softer, dull crackle of fondness as he continued, she had noticed how the youngling took to me, as we had certain things in common, and asked if it bothered me, to have him seek me out so much. It didn't and still doesn't. He keeps me tied now, more than anything else. I have to stay close in case he needs me, even with his mother around. Sometimes a colt just needs a stallion. What ties you from wandering far?

The air was getting damper in his mouth, the taste of mold and mildew bitter on his tongue. She had moved away, then closer, then away once again and he wasn't sure if his daydreamings had bored her or if there was some odd footing she had needed to avoid.

Regardless, she was free to simply leave at any time. It would remove his safety net, but that wouldn't be too bad. Part of the dark was the silence, it seemed. Everything seemed so much more significant now. Was that what it was like for Fancy, all the time - that everything held more weight, rather it be in shadow or light?

At times, when something struck deeper than she thought, he had seen the flicker in her eyes, the shadows flitting just under the surface. Everyone gave a small hint, rather a tightening around the corners of the mouth or a faint tilt of an ear. You could read them, if you only knew how to see what you were looking at.

He had watched her closely and learned how to see. Now he was learning how to be blind.

Re: Slippery Shadows

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:04 pm

by Vineda

She could feel him listening, his attention to detail as she spoke. Even as he listened to the little she said, he picked up on tone, on inflection, on what she might not be saying. Who knew how he interpreted it all. It made her feel unveiled, especially after hearing his observations of the her that he didn't know was her. Almost as though he knew too much. She'd not been aware, before, how much of a shadow girl she really was.

The tomboyish streak in her made her want to scoff, even as she mused these things to herself. Who was he, to be any judge? Why should she so worry over his perceptions? How vexing.

Refocusing, she could also feel his uncertainty. "Milord," she addressed with a grin - her bonded would laugh, to hear her speak so - "You navigate this deep darkness entirely too well to claim utter blindness, surely! Tell me you were jesting, that it was all a good joke!" Believe she did, that he could not see so well. She truly did mean it as a compliment. The thought made her think to quail and shrink farther from him, but she'd not stand to look at herself once they were through this if she did so. Oh stop being such a wimp, she scolded herself. This games in the dark thing was turning it into much more of a drama than she could stand.

Unwinding her muscles - of course, he can probably tell I've tensed by some blessed sense of his - she continued to reassure him. "You really are doing quite well." He seemed to waver a bit, moving left but then straightening some. Avoiding her perhaps? "I'll be closer to the chasm, so no worries there. And I won't bite." She bumped his side with her shoulder, just ever so slightly, hoping she wasn't breaking some unspoken rule.

"Solid ties? I have my bonded, and my bond family. They.. keep me grounded." Her bond family never ceased to amaze her. Everyone was so different, so interesting. And they accepted her, loved her for who she was. And they were so very easy to love back. "No, there are no younglings in our family. I've seen one or two foals here and there in the fields, with their families." She'd met the young Darroch, of course, but he wasn't to know that. "There really isn't a strong leader in our family, so there are a few of us who do different parts in keeping everyone together even as they wander. I never expected myself to be such a homebody. Perhaps when we have more of a leader I'll use my time to wander more... For now I mostly make gopher overlords wait." She chuckled here, low and easy.

It was troubling, the awkwardness, the uncertainty. Ever nagging. She noticed it again as she trailed off, letting go of thoughts of her bond family and her habits. "Do you require direction? If you have a question, you know all you need do is ask." Thrilling to consider telling him she was an open book...

Re: Slippery Shadows

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:42 pm

by Songhue

OOC| Squee! Such a wonderfy surprise!

BIC| He found a bit more surety entering his step as she encouraged him, glad that he was't as terribly impaired as it had seemed. His confidence had been wavering. She was a kind mare, this stranger, to keep him such company as she was.

You have a kind heart, Pretty, he smiled, nodding his head absently as his ears swiveled with the ever shifting sounds of dripping water and echoed hoofbeats. I've already learned more than I had thought, with this experiment, yet it still gives me a challenge. The dark seems to be weighing heavier still upon my eyes.

Stretching his neck, he paused and tilted an ear directly towards her, lashing his tail as he gathered the words in his head. He had automatically shifted with the bump she had given, brushing the whole of his side against her as well when he heard the shift of her hoofbeats. She would know he was scaled now - and he knew she had wings, from what he had felt around her shoulders. Soft, feathery wings. It had confirmed what he had seen of her outline previously.

He chuckled, easy humor warming his voice back into a growling sizzle. It sounded especially harsh, especially loud within the shadows.

He found it didn't bother him as he once would have thought it should. The darkness was heavy and silent, making him sound particularly powerful. He didn't fit properly in it - his voice was not a slippery shadow itself - but then he wasn't supposed to. He was not of the darkness.

I'm enjoying this adventure with you. It's a good chance to simply slow down. I'll have to wander other caverns, it seems, and hope I meet another who could be such good company as you are. Or perhaps we could find one another again in our explorations, as we both stay close to help our bond families.

Smiling, he twitched his tail and glanced back over his shoulder in the direction they had come, wondering if there would still be any hint of the distant light they had left behind. What he saw instead was a faint glowing imprint of his back talons, bits of lightning still flickering dim embers. It wasn't even enough light to see the proper texture of the ground underhoof, but it was enough to explain the discomfort he had heard enter the mare's hoofsteps. She was more relaxed now - there wasn't that touch of sharpness in her step that revealed tension. Yet there was also several feet between where they were now and where they had been when they had sparked as he spoke of his Fancy mare. He'd forgotten the effect she had on him, even in mere thought.

You mentioned Oak and Talon before, when you said you're here simply for the shadows. They're friends of mine as well; they were the first ones to show me true kindness when I came back to myself. They know all my quirks and gladly accept them, kind as their hearts are. Should you see them before I, do send my greetings, Pretty. Might I ask this of you? For that matter, let me ask your favorite games, your most cherished memory. Let us smile as we near the edge of the world.

The last was meant as a joke, a mockery of the cavern that could swallow them up without effort or concern. Edge of the world it was not, and yet in these depths it may as well be deeper than even the lowest point of the seas.

They had reached it now; he could feel the cold air swooping up around his hooves, the dampness clogging his nose as the air grew denser.

This was more than shadow; death waited here. Yet together they would be perfectly safe. The idea thrilled him.

Re: Slippery Shadows

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:50 pm

by Vineda

OOC| Wellp. I had a beautiful reply all finishing up for you. Then. I swear a poltergeist moved my hand and made me hit the F5 key. Poof! It all goes away just like that. I am determined, however, that despite my time limit I shall prevail and post now. You just get the condensed, rougher version >.<

BIC| He impressed her, not affected by the darnkess here under the unimaginable amount of rock and earth above them. The ancientness pervaded the very air, both intensified and veiled by the dampness surrounding them. Her skin shivered and twitched here and there against the coolness.

She asked playfully, as though intentionally puzzled. "Kind? How do you know I accompany you out of kindness?" She combed through other possible motivations in her mind, quirking a brow and twitching her tufted tail as though he could see her plainly.

The contact was intensified by the dark despite the briefness. She could feel the glide of skin against scales, they that felt so cool and flowing to the touch and yet so obviously veiled body heat and a deep electric spark. of life.

"I am glad you enjoy our quiet meandering. Some among my bond mates would think it quite dull. I too, am enjoying your company a great deal." Why did she always have to speak with such ceremony, among strangers and even among close friends. The expectations, the high opinion he had of this Fancy in his head... they held her back for fear of disappointing. And so she stood on what ground she could, even if it be formal. "And why must you wander other caverns? In order to experience more of them? I would be game for more excursions, certainly."

The purple mare watched curiously as he examined his rear talons, and she simply couldn't resist. "Checking to make sure they're still there?" And then it was her turn to chuckle, a soft and quiet noise as much of the shadows as his had not been.

Her voice was softened as well, when next she answered him. At first she'd almost responded sharply, as she realized she'd slipped the names of her bond mates. Luckily not their close relation to her, or her cover would be completely blown. She could not be short when speaking of Talon and Oak, however. "Aye, those two are friends of the truest sort. Talon certainly tends to be a quirk magnet, indeed seeks them out I daresay." These next questions brought her up short, making her aware that he asked because he was genuinely interested. Another characteristic she did not look for in many outside her bond circle.

As they entered a cavern and the walls widened drastically, she almost wanted to skip her spirit felt so light. She'd not felt so much like a filly in time out of mind. It was fun to consider games, to search through memories for her favorites. "I must admit, one of my favorite games is hide and seek... You'd never guess it though, hmm? Is this a trade then? Are you to tell me your favorite game in return?" She dared, invited. Not that she avoided his question of cherished memories, or refused it. It simply took some thought. The past was... complicated. What was there was all a past in front of a wall of paper, with strange shapes and ideas looming on the other side when lit from the different directions. None discernible, of course, but haunting nonetheless.

"The figuring out of life... after. It's been a strange challenge, so... disconnected. I know not who I was in the past. In this present I've acquired a bond family, and we all ended up dancing around a bonfire. We circled it, we chased one another, we cavorted with the shadows the flames threw at us. Perhaps my most cherished of memories is of that night. Not everyone wanted to be there, not every bonded is willingly social. But at that point we were all together, in understanding and acceptance. Everyone was open and free and.. happy." She ducked her head with a toss of her mane, surprised to have rambled so very much.

Intrigued, she invited more conversation on this matter. "Oh? The edge of the world?" Joking or no, it made her think as she imagined what the edge of the world looked like in the clouds of her mind. Maps she'd seen with the sea flowing over the edge of the earth into nothingness drifted to the surface, and she shivered.